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~𝑭𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑 𝒃𝒆𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒔𝒎𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒌𝒔; 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒘𝒔 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒂 𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒅𝒆𝒆𝒑 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒏𝒆𝒙𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘...𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒔𝒐 𝒎𝒖𝒄𝒉.~

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Stacey bit her lip, her hands awkwardly encasing the infant as she switched her attention between the baby's face and the glass leading inside. They had been gone for almost half an hour. And it had been one of the longest, most awkward, minutes of her life.

What was she to do? She looked down to see the girl's eyes tightly closed, fists curled near her chest. No skin of hers was exposed except her face and tiny hands. She was a peaceful baby and smelt equally wonderful. A breeze wondered by and her face scrunched up, causing her to stir. Alarmed, Stacey shot up then paused halfway when the baby's head jiggled.

What was this? Looking heavenward, she asked this silently before continuing her journey of standing up slowly. She walked over to the sun hoping the baby will be warm under it then paused. Was sun good for new born babies? She turned away, then turned back, indecisive. "Oh darn it all." This was maddening!

A startled sound escaped Arielle's mouth and Stacey froze. "Oh no, no, no." She shook her head, drawing her closer to her, her warmth seeping through her clothes.

The sound increased in tempo as her small mouth widened, eyes tightening further.

"Don't cry. Why are you crying?!"

Her fists began to move, her legs wiggling in the flannel. "Shh," Stacey hushed, beginning to absent mindedly pace. The girl didn't stop crying. "Your mum hushed you and you kept quiet." She nipped her lips. "Mmh, am I not hushing right?"

She heard flapping of wings and looked to see the Blue Jay flying off. "Yes, leave. All of you leave." She shifted the child in her arms and closed her eyes. "Oh God, I'm throwing remarks to a bird that did nothing to me."

The cries continued to penetrate her ear drums as she moved, hoping she won't break her. What to do? What to do? Should she interrupt her parents? They might know what was wrong.

She looked down to the baby who's face was starting to blotch. "Listen to me, Valiente. The name means courage and we are going to need an awful lot right now. I'm gonna go to your parent and you're going to help my by crying louder so they can see you and know that I had a justifiable reason for interrupting them. Okay?"

Her cries increased and Stacey nodded. "I'll take that as a yes."

Taking in a deep breath, Stacey slid open the glass door, stepped in, shut it and headed towards their room. She knocked, shifting her weight from one foot to the other as she waited for a response. She heard faint footsteps before the door swung open to reveal Ayaan. Instantly, the baby's cried mellowed.

Oh no. This is not our agreement.

The look of confusion on his face morphed into worry when they fell from Stacey to the baby. "She must be hungry." He left the door open and walked further into the room.

Stacey took that as an invitation. "Sorry, I don't know what to do and—" she paused when she noticed Mia's sleeping form on the bed. What? She had stopped her movement due to the surprise at seeing Mia asleep so the baby's cries picked up from where it stopped at the door.

"Wah! Wah! Waah!"

Stacey could even picture the sound in words. She continued to pace, hoping for Ayaan to be fast and get whatever will make her quiet. He was shaking a plastic feeding bottle with milk content he had gotten from God knows where. And Arielle was doing a good job of urging him.